Air Force Expands Retention Bonuses for Its Most Crucial Jobs in 2025

The Air Force is expanding its retention and reenlistment bonuses this month to 89 of its toughest and highly skilled career fields, from working dog handlers and bomb technicians to flight attendants and paralegals.

A leaked list of the career fields eligible for the Air Force’s selective retention bonuses was circulating online Thursday and was confirmed as authentic to Military.com by Ann Stefanek, an Air Force spokesperson.

“The list is authentic and accurate and was effective Dec. 16,” Stefanek told Military.com. “We use the Selective Retention Bonus to help retain talent that is in high demand.”

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Stefanek did not respond to Military.com questions asking about more details regarding the bonuses. The leaked memo detailing the career fields says the funds can range from $180,000 to $360,000 over the course of an airman’s career. The lucrative Selective Retention Bonuses are used to keep highly skilled airmen in job fields that may have low manning, low reenlistment or high exit rates.

The 89 career fields on the list eligible for the bonus in fiscal 2025 are a notable increase from the 73 careers for fiscal 2024. Some of those 89 career fields require certain skill identifiers to qualify for the funds.

The Air Force’s 2025 budget request included $1.1 billion for bonus and retention programs covering thousands of jobs, the service said at the time.

“We really do continue to stay focused on our bonus and retention programs,” Maj. Gen. Michael Greiner, the Air Force’s deputy assistant secretary for budget, said during the budget request briefing earlier this year. “Our retention rates remain very high. We’re at near record levels above 90% on both enlisted and officer.”

This year’s Selective Retention Bonuses list expanded to 89 jobs, but some old jobs may not be on the new list. For any careers that may have been removed from the list, airmen have until Feb. 15 to get another contract “before it is reduced/terminated” by Feb. 16, the leaked memo details.

Some of the new retention bonuses are aimed at the Air Force’s special operations jobs, which have struggled to recruit and gain public awareness for the mission as compared to the Army‘s Green Berets, Navy SEALs or the Marine Raiders, Military.com reported.

The 89 jobs eligible for the 2025 Special Retention Bonus include:

1. 1A1X2G – Mobility Force Aviator (KC-46 Boom Operator)
2. 1A1X2D – Mobility Force Aviator (C-130J Loadmaster)
3. 1A1X3E – Special Mission Aviator (MC-130J)
4. 1A1X4D – Multi-Domain Operations Aviator (E-11 Mission Coordinator/Payload Operator)
5. 1A1X4E – Multi-Domain Operations Aviator (EC-130H/EA-37B Airborne Maintenance Technician)
6. 1A1X8A – Executive Mission Assistant (C-32/C-40 Flight Attendant)
7. 1A8X1G – Airborne Cryptologic Language Analyst (Chinese)
8. 1A8X1H – Airborne Cryptologic Language Analyst (Korean)
9. 1A8X1I – Airborne Cryptologic Language Analyst (Russian)
10. 1A8X1K – Airborne Cryptologic Language Analyst (Persian)
11. 1BX41- Cyber Warfare Operations
12. 1C1X1 – Air Traffic Control
13. 1C3X1 – All Domain Command and Control Operations
14. 1C5X1D – Battle Management Operations (Weapons Director)
15. 1C7X1 – Airfield Management
16. 1D7X1A – Cyber Systems Operations (Network Operations Specialist)
17. 1D7X1B – Cyber Systems Operations (System Administration Specialist)
18. 1D7X1D – Cyber Systems Operations (Cybersecurity Technician)
19. 1D7X1E – Cyber Systems Operations (Technical Support Specialist)
20. 1D7X1M – Cyber Systems Operations (Cybersecurity)
21. 1D7X1P – Cyber Systems Operations (Data Operations)
22. 1D7X1Q – Cyber Systems Operations (Enterprise Operations)
23. 1D7X1Q – Cyber Systems Operations (Enterprise Operations) with certain special experience identifiers
24. 1D7X1W – Cyber Systems Operations (Expeditionary Communications)
25. 1D7X1Z – Cyberspace Operations (Software Development Specialist)
26. 1D7X3C – Cable and Antenna Defense Operations (Cable and Antenna Operations)
27. 1H0X1 – Aerospace Physiology
28. 1N2X1A – Signals Intelligence Analyst (Electronic Non-Communications Analyst)
29. 1N3X1G – Cryptologic Language Analyst (Chinese)
30. 1N3X1I – Cryptologic Language Analyst (Russian)
31. 1N3X1K – Cryptologic Language Analyst (Persian)
32. 1N4X1A – Cyber Intelligence Analyst
33. 1N7X1 – Human Intelligence Specialist
34. 1N8X1 – Targeting Analyst
35. 1P0X1A – Aircrew Flight Equipment (Ejection Seat Aircraft)
36. 1P0X1B – Aircrew Flight Equipment (Non-Ejection Seat Aircraft)
37. 1T0X1 – Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape
38. 1Z1X1 – Pararescue
39. 1Z2X1 – Combat Control
40. 1Z3X1 – Tactical Air Control Party
41. 1Z4X1 – Special Reconnaissance
42. 2A373 – Tactical Aircraft Maintenance Craftsman
43. 2A375 – Advanced Fighter Aircraft Integrated Avionics Craftsman
44. 2A377 – Tactical Aircraft Maintenance (5th Generation) Craftsman
45. 2A3X5B – Advanced Fighter Aircraft Integrated Avionics (F-35)
46. 2A5X1A – Airlift/Special Mission Aircraft Maintenance (C-20/C-21/C-22/C-37/C-40/E-4/VC-25)
47. 2A531M – Airlift/Special Mission Aircraft Maintenance (MQ-1/9)
48. 2A531R – Airlift/Special Mission Aircraft Maintenance (RQ-4)
49. 2A551 – Airlift/Special Mission Aircraft Maintenance
50. 2A571 – Airlift/Special Mission Aircraft Craftsman
51. 2A574 – Refuel/Bomber Aircraft Maintenance Craftsman
52. 2A5X4C – Refuel/Bomber Aircraft Maintenance (KC-46)
53. 2A5X4D – Refuel/Bomber Aircraft Maintenance (B-52)
54. 2A5X4E – Refuel/Bomber Aircraft Maintenance (B-1)
55. 2A5X4F – Refuel/Bomber Aircraft Maintenance (B-2)
56. 2A934B – Heavy Aircraft Integrated Avionics – Remotely Piloted Aircraft
57. 2A954 – Heavy Aircraft Integrated Avionics
58. 2G0X1 – Logistics Plans
59. 2M0X0 – Missile and Space Systems Superintendent
60. 2M0X1 – Missile and Space Systems Electronic Maintenance
61. 2M0X2 – Missile and Space Systems Maintenance
62. 2M0X3 – Missile and Space Facilities
63. 3E5X1 – Engineering
64. 3E8X1 – Explosive Ordnance Disposal
65. 3F371 – Manpower
66. 3P0X1A – Security Forces (Military Working Dog Handler)
67. 3P0X1B – Security Forces (Combat Arms)
68. 4C0X1 – Mental Health Service
69. 4H0X1 – Respiratory Care Practitioner
70. 4J0X2 – Physical Medicine
71. 4J0X2A – Physical Medicine (Orthotic)
72. 4N0X1C – Aerospace Medical Service (Independent Duty Medical Technician)
73. 4N0X1D – Aerospace Medical Service (Allergy/Immunization Technician)
74. 4N0X1F – Aerospace Medical Service (Flight and Operational Medicine)
75. 4N0X1G – Aerospace Medical Service (Aeromedical Evacuation)
76. 4N0X1H – Aerospace Medical Service (National Registry Paramedic)
77. 4N1X1B – Surgical Technologist (Urology)
78. 4N1X1C – Surgical Technologist (Orthopedics)
79. 4N1X1D – Surgical Technologist (Otorhinolaryngology)
80. 4P0X1 – Pharmacy
81. 4R0X1A – Diagnostic Imaging (Nuclear Medicine)
82. 4R0X1B – Diagnostic Imaging (Sonography)
83. 4R0X1C – Diagnostic Imaging (Magnetic Resonance)
84. 4V0X1S – Ophthalmic (Ophthalmology)
85. 4Y0X0 – Dental Superintendent
86. 4Y0X1H – Dental Assistant (Dental Hygienist)
87. 5J0X1 – Paralegal
88. 5R0X1 – Religious Affairs
89. 7S0X1 – Special Investigations

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